This invention relates to scales in general, and more particularly to a scale capable of providing a digital display of an object's weight.
There presently exists a number of patents which employ electronic devices and counters to provide a display indicative of the weight of an object placed on a weighing platform.
As such, many of the prior art patents relate to relatively complicated scale or weighing operations, such as batch scales which detect coincidence between the weight of an object and a predetermined weight which may be entered into the apparatus prior to emplacement of the object on the platform. Such apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,619 entitled DIGITAL CUTOFF by R. F. Orr issued on June 1, 1971.
Other patents as U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,015 entitled DIGITAL SCALE AND METHOD by F. C. Rock and issued on Mar. 28, 1972 show electronic encoding apparatus which provide a digital display of the weight of an object. These devices operate by detecting or responding to the position of a dial pointer associated with an ordinary scale and do not employ load cells to provide voltages or signals proportional to the weight of an object.
Other patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,714,401; 3,881,651; 3,740,536 and 3,789,202 show various scale configurations as balances, conveyor scales to provide a digital display of the weight of an object and do so by employing electronic circuitry.
In any event, there is a need for an inexpensive and reliable scale apparatus which is completely electronic in nature and employs a minimum of mechanical parts. It is further desired to provide an inexpensive scale structure or apparatus which employs a counter for providing a digital indication of weight by interfacing with a simple and inexpensive analog to digital converter.
Another desireable feature is to provide a scale apparatus which can be easily converted to display weight in both the conventional system and the metric system to enable a user to quickly select the system in which the weight of the object is to be displayed.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an inexpensive digital scale apparatus employing a minimum of mechanical components, while providing an accurate and reliable display of the weight of an object.